I get it, a joke. Floodgates. Perhaps we should call it coal gate? Of course secondary containment and maintenance is required. And of course, the state slow-walked it and Duke resisted compliance. But it was all liberals fault.

How's the air inside the bubble? Doesn't it get a little stale avoiding reality?

I think big fines are appropriate, but only when negligence or ignoring regulations is proven. A broken pipe caused the problem. If and when negligence is identified, then kick Duke Energy in the pocket book. In the mean time, the Governor is addressing the problem. Since there has been concern for a long time, but no spills/leaks, things like this tend to get ignored.

I will also add that if the investigation shows that the governor or anyone else did anything illegal, then they should pay the appropriate price.

I AM for regulatory compliance and law beakers need to be held accountable, but let's wait until the investigation is complete before judgments are made.

Such a cynic. Stop making assumptions where there is nothing to support your posts. You twist stuff so much, you might as well be called Chubby Checker.

My facts come from the local paper and TV, not Fox. If violations of the laws or regulations are proven, then hang the guy out to dry.

What I read says that there have been concerns for along time about the coal ash storage, and NO ONE has addressed the issue until now that there has been a spill. Who has been ignoring the issue? Make up your own mind since liberals have been in power 18 of the last 21 years and the current Governor has been in power for one year. Yes, there currently could be a conflict of interest, but let's reserve judgment until more is known.

Cynic? The news report that you seem to have ignored is that three times in the past year, the Republicans in North Carolina, the governor and his appointee for the environment, have blocked citizen suits that would have compelled enforcement. But it's all liberals fault. Back flips, but your form sucks.

Techno--you keep trying to change the subject. The original posting said that the Governor and his appointee to head up the environmental organization in the State cooked up a trivial fine for Duke energy for spilling coal ash. It blew up in the press and was withdrawn--but the governor was in the loop. It turns out, if you actually read the clippings, that this is just part of a pattern of favorable treatment of Duke energy in North Carolina under this governor.

Whatever happened in any previous administration, Republican or Democratic, has nothing to do with the current scandalous behavior. Nothing. The official policy of the Republican party is to reduce regulations--and apparently to forgive violations as well. All regulatory systems rely on the discharger to build and maintain facilities and self-monitor. No state, Red or Blue, has enough money to do much inspection of facilities--because of Republican tax cutting policies.

You have defended this Republican governor, despite the conflict of interest and shady attempted sweetheart fine--and tried to bring in ancillary matters which have nothing to do with the scandal.

Lest we think that the anti-regulation, anti-safety anti-environment folks are only active in Virginia and North Carolina and Texas, there's this:

Quote:

(02-21) 07:51 PST PACHECO -- In an unprecedented challenge, Tesoro Corp. has barred federal authorities from going inside its refinery near Martinez to investigate an incident in which two workers were burned by acid spewing from a broken pipe, The Chronicle has learned.

State officials ordered a partial shutdown of the Golden Eagle Refinery following the Feb. 12 incident after inspectors with California's workplace safety agency found numerous suspected safety violations, state officials said.

The investigators with Cal/OSHA went to the plant at 150 Solano Way in the unincorporated community of Pacheco when a pipe containing sulfuric acid burst, spraying the two workers in the face with the caustic chemical. The two were flown by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where they were treated for first- and second-degree burns and released later that day.

On Feb. 18, Cal/OSHA ordered Tesoro to shut down the section of the refinery where the pipe was located until the company reviews its operations, shows how it protects workers against acid spills and conducts refresher training. The unit adds octane boosters to refined gasoline.

Come on now, who will be the first to step up and defend Tesoro for endangering their employees?

From the Republican Platform:

Quote:

Regulatory Reform: The Key to Economic Growth (Top)

The proper purpose of regulation is to set forth clear rules of the road for the citizens, so that business owners and workers can understand in advance what they need to do, or not do, to augment the possibilities for success within the confines of the law. Regulations must be drafted and implemented to balance legitimate public safety or consumer protection goals and job creation. Constructive regulation should be a helpful guide, not a punitive threat. Worst of all, over-regulation is a stealth tax on everyone as the costs of compliance with the whims of federal agencies are passed along to the consumers at the cost of $1.75 trillion a year. Many regulations are necessary, like those which ensure the safety of food and medicine, especially from overseas. But no peril justifies the regulatory impact of Obamacare on the practice of medicine, the Dodd-Frank Act on financial services, or the EPA’s and OSHA’s overreaching regulation agenda. A Republican Congress and President will repeal the first and second, and rein in the third. We support a sunset requirement to force reconsideration of out-of-date regulations, and we endorse pending legislation to require congressional approval for all new major and costly regulations.
The bottom line on regulations is jobs. In listening to America, one constant we have heard is the job-crippling effect of even well-intentioned regulation. That makes it all the more important for federal agencies to be judicious about the impositions they create on businesses, especially small businesses. We call for a moratorium on the development of any new major and costly regulations until a Republican Administration reviews existing rules to ensure that they have a sound basis in science and will be cost-effective.

Returning to the case of the Governor of North Carolina, who is eager to enforce the GOP deregulation policies for his former employer, Duke Energy, there is some interesting news. First this:

Quote:

Will Gov. McCrory help his friend Duke Energy capture the N.C. Utility Commission?

This is a critical moment for North Carolina's energy future, as a packed public hearing held in Raleigh this week showed -- and there are growing concerns that the politician who might get to make key decisions about it has significant conflicts of interest.

On Monday, Feb. 11, about 180 people attended a N.C. Utilities Commission (NCUC) hearing on Duke Energy's plan for meeting its customers' power needs over the next two decades. Dozens of citizens testified against Duke's proposed Integrated Resource Plan, which calls for generating most of its energy from polluting sources: dirty coal plants (24 percent), natural gas plants (29 percent), and risky nuclear plants (29 percent). Efficiency would account for only 4.5 percent of Duke's generation mix, while wind and solar would make up only 2.25 percent. The plan would cost Duke's customers dearly, as the company -- which supplies electricity to over 95 percent of North Carolina customers since its merger with Progress Energy -- would quadruple rates within a decade.

Speaker after speaker called on commissioners to require Duke to increase its generation from renewable sources such as solar and to encourage greater efficiency. Many of those who testified cited the urgency of acting now, pointing to mounting signs that the climate has already been dangerously disrupted by unchecked greenhouse gas pollution.

"What are we waiting for, the next tragic super storm to strike?" asked Avram Friedman, executive director of the Canary Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for clean air in western North Carolina. "What is it going to take for you to act in the public interest?"

But there are mounting concerns that the public interest will get even less consideration if North Carolina's legislature gets its way and gives Gov. Pat McCrory (R) sole control over the commission's membership.

A controversial bill recently introduced in the General Assembly would sweep out the current members of key state regulatory commissions including the NCUC and replace them with members appointed by the governor and/or the legislature. In the case of the NCUC, Senate Bill 10 specifies that the new appointments would be made by the governor and confirmed by the legislature. It would also downsize the commission from seven members to five. The bill has already passed the Senate and is now advancing through the House, both of which are controlled by veto-proof Republican super-majorities.

State Sen. Bill Rabon (R-New Hanover), one of the bill's primary sponsors along with Sens. Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson) and Neal Hunt (R-Wake), told the Senate Rules Committee that the bill streamlines state government and allows key boards to be run by appointees who "are more like-minded and willing to carry out the philosophy of the new administration," as The News & Observer reported.

However, some watchdogs are protesting what they call "an unprecedented conflict of interest" created by the legislation because of McCrory's unusually close ties to Duke Energy.http://www.southernstudies.org/2013/02/will-gov-mccrory-help-his-friend-duke-energy-capture-the-nc-utility-commission.html

In California, such a conflict of interest would forbid the governor from directing the question of fining Duke energy for their violations of water quality laws because it would affect the value of his stock. Does this pose legal hazard for him? Perhaps, look at this one:

Quote:

The United States Attorney issued subpoenas to Duke Energy and the North Carolina government agency DENR that is responsible for enforcing federal environmental water quality laws for a grand jury investigation into suspected felonious activity concerning the recent massive coal ash spill into the Dan River. The federal subpoena released by DENR requested extensive records going back to the year 2000 involving the relationship between Duke Power and DENR regarding the Dan River Steam Station.
Environmental groups have repeatedly sued Duke Energy for action to stop the ongoing leakage of toxic coal ash contaminants into North Carolina's waterways and water supplies, but the state government has stepped in to stop the suits. Duke Energy and the state government have been repeatedly warned that coal ash ponds were endangering health and safety, but the state has repeatedly proposed settling with Duke power for tiny fines and minimal action to clean up the massive ash piles along North Carolina's rivers. The U.S. Attorney is apparently investigating possible corruption in the relationship between Duke Energy and the North Carolina state government. Governor McCrory was employed by Duke Energy for over 20 years and accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions from Duke Energy. The subpoenaed information will likely be used to investigate possible felonious collusion between Duke Energy and the McCrory administration concerning the Dan River spill and Duke Energy's many other dangerous coal ash impoundments which are leaking toxins into North Carolina's waterways.

DENR's false claims that the water in the Dan River was safe, when their own data showed it wasn't, endangered the public and may have violated federal law.

Though this is shocking news, it’s not surprising considering DENR’s delayed response to the spill and the report last Friday showing that the agency assured the public for five days that arsenic levels in the Dan River were within safe human health standards, when in fact DENR’s own test results clearly showed arsenic levels were four times higher on the Monday and Tuesday following the spill.

DENR will have to turn over an extensive list of documents detailing the state’s interactions with Duke and the Dan River Steam Station dating back to 2000, including:
• The station’s pollution discharge permits, which dictate what Duke may release into the Dan River.

• All records relating to the broken stormwater pipe dating back to January 2010. The stormwater pipe runs under one of the station’s coal ash storage basins.

• Correspondences between state environmental officials and Duke Energy;

• Any administrative penalties the company received.

• All information related to inspections conducted at the steam station since 2000.

• Information, including emails, photographs and videos, about any discharges or seepages from any coal ash ponds on the site.

Groundwater monitoring done before the spill, from 2011 to 2013, found dangerous levels of the toxic elements antimony and arsenic, and other contaminants above legal limits, around the Dan River coal ash impoundment. Duke Energy and the state of North Carolina knowingly did nothing to remedy the dangerous situation even after Duke Energy was sued by environmental organizations. The fact that they knew of the dangerous situation but willfully did nothing to remedy it may be one of the reasons that the U.S. Attorney suspects that felonies may have been committed. Moreover, the financial relationship between Governor McCrory and Duke Energy is highly suspicious.
After the third-largest coal ash spill in U.S. history at a shuttered Duke Energy coal plant, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources is rethinking its proposed settlement with Duke over earlier groundwater contamination from two other coal ash dumps.
Under the deal, which may now be tossed out, Duke would have paid a fine of just $99,111. Lawyers for the agency have asked a judge to disregard this proposal.

“DENR asks this court to hold in abeyance any further consideration of the proposed consent order while DENR undertakes a comprehensive review of all North Carolina coal ash facilities in view of the recent coal ash release into the Dan River,” said the state’s letter to Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway. “DENR will advise the court when it has completed this additional review of North Carolina coal ash facilities and the requirements of the proposed consent order.”

The proposed settlement announced last July was for discharges of coal ash-contaminated wastewater from Duke’s Asheville plant in Buncombe County and its Riverbend plant near Charlotte. Monitoring of groundwater quality near the plants showed levels of boron, manganese, and thallium that exceeded regulatory limits. The deal was immediately blasted by environmental and campaign watchdog groups as a “remarkable sweetheart deal anchored with $1 million in campaign contributions.”

From North Carolina Blue

Who will now do back flips over the nearest car to defend this conflict of interest--or to blame it on Obama's Attorney General?

Lest we think that the anti-regulation, anti-safety anti-environment folks are only active in Virginia and North Carolina and Texas, there's this: ..........

Your problem is in believing radicalism is rampant w/in the Republican party.

"anti-regulation"? Yea, we want no regulations, bring back child slavery.
"anti-safety"? Yea, we want the workers lubing the machinery with their bodies.
"anti-environment"? Yea, we are in favor of dirty water, dirty air, poisonous food, and we hate forests with their cute animals.

Do you know how old and just plain silly you sound when you spew that crap?_________________I don't drink the 'cool' aid, I drink tequila, it's more honest.

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